Posts Tagged ‘cinematography’

This video strikes me as a very powerful profile piece. I think the use of black and white was very intentional in keeping the feeling of the video “vintage” to match the content of the video, making a vintage drag racing bike. Overall, the use of detail in this short video is also done really well. I wouldnt typically think to shoot detail shots of a man’s beard but they work really well here (1:44) and they help to add a humanizing anchor to all of the detail shots of the bike.

Something that I think is really powerful in videos, and that Meditation 4 Madmen does really well, is to bring the viewer into the experience. At 1:02, the video runs really quickly through almost indecipherable images and stops on the shot of the man riding the bike. The jumpy music also helps to add the effect here. What I thought worked about it is the choice of quote, sound effects and editing techniques to let the viewer feel like he is experiencing the ride with the biker, and not from a computer screen. What do you think? Does it work for you?

I included the description in the title of this post because I think it’s really beautifully said. Although it’s called Sarah’s Uncertain Path, the description is; “Profiling a pregnant teenager in Missouri, this short documentary provides a window into rural poverty in America’s heartland.” Short, sweet, enticing, heartbreaking, and to the point in one sentence. A great example of how to entice people to view your work in only a few words – something we are all working on.

This piece in particular has been getting a lot of social media conversation, so I wanted to see what the buzz was all about. Also, I use the word heartbreaking because I definitely cried during this piece. It’s so beautifully composed, with intimate close-up shots of the families and beautiful lighting streaming through the panels of the old barn and the rural landscapes, not to mention the lovely use of sunset light at the end. What struck me most of all was the unspoken message of hope despite all odds. These sweet children with few possessions were making the most of their situation by playing the broken down piano, twirling each other around on a makeshift swing, lost in childhood and blissfully unaware of how set back they’ll be by so many of their peers living in bigger homes, with more money, and therefore more opportunities.

The documentary really peeks after we’ve met this family, been shown around and let in to the little corners of their lives, and we hear Sarah talking about her dreams for the future. Simple dreams, to have her own house and car, maybe go to college, maybe have a pool. Why is that so hard for someone like Sarah, or any of us, to achieve? As the character of this piece, Sarah paints an emotionally powerful picture of the “American Dream” that is slipping further from reality for all of us, as a pregnant 15-year-old in a broken down house in Missouri, still filled with endearing hope that her dream is just out of reach.

There is something about this piece that struck a chord with me. Maybe because of the fact that the filmmaker shot this in one day (which doesn’t look impossible). But it goes to show that if you truly think out your shots and capture all of the details, then all you need is one shoot and you nailed it. Like this. Although I am aware that this is an advertisement, it is also a much deeper piece entirely. For those of you really looking to focus on lighting for this term, I think that this video does an impressive job of using a low-light situation to their advantage. The lighting in the garage is very purposeful, so it doesn’t feel fake or forced, yet it adds a dramatic effect to all of the close ups. It also allows for the camera to pick up all of the sparks flying off of the metals, which I think added to the dreamy feel of the film.

The above the action shots in this piece were really powerful to me. I like that the filmmaker chose to create frames that were a change from the typical break down of a scene. For example, when the motorcycle comes out of the garage at 1:00, I really liked the small moment that it created where the biker hesitates before he really takes off, as if deciding which path he will take. I was also very impressed with all of the tracking shots on the motorcycle. I think that the filmmaker definitely used picturesque roads to his advantage (the tree lined lane and the rolling clouds behind the tall grass fields).